London Borough of Bromley

Petition Scheme

Who can submit a petition or e-petition? The Council welcomes petitions and a petition can be submitted by any person of any age who lives, works or studies in the borough of Bromley. All petitions will be acknowledged within five working days.

Who can sign a petition or e-petition? A petition can be signed by a person of any age who lives, works or studies in Bromley. All petitioners should provide as appropriate their home, work or education establishment address. Anyone signing an e-petition should also include a valid email address, for verification purposes. You can only sign a petition once; the list of signatories will be checked by officers and any duplicate signatures or obviously frivolous responses will be removed.

What issues can my petition or e-petition relate to? Your petition or e-petition should be relevant to some issue on which the Council has powers or duties or on which it has shared delivery responsibilities through the Local Area Agreement or other partnership arrangement. It should also be submitted in good faith and be decent, honest and respectful. Your petition may be rejected if it:

- Contains intemperate, inflammatory, abusive or provocative language.
- Is defamatory, frivolous, vexatious, discriminatory or otherwise offensive; or contains false statements.
- Is too similar to another petition submitted within the past six months.
- Discloses confidential or exempt information, including information protected by a court order or government department.
- Discloses material which is otherwise commercially sensitive.
- Names individuals, or provides information where they may be easily identified, e.g. individual officers of public bodies provided that this exemption will not apply to executive councillors, committee chairmen, the head of paid service or any statutory or non-statutory chief officer.
- Makes criminal accusations.
- Contains advertising statements.
- Refers to an issue which is currently the subject of a formal Council complaint, Local Ombudsman complaint or any legal proceedings.
- Relates to the Council’s planning or licensing functions as there are separate statutory processes in place for dealing with these matters.

During politically sensitive periods, such as prior to an election, politically controversial material may need to be restricted...

Privacy policy The details you give us for an e-petition are needed to validate your support but will not be published on the website. This is the same information required for a paper petition. On the completion of an e-petition, your details will be passed on to the principal petitioner. The Council may contact you in relation to any petitions you have signed, unless you have requested not to be contacted when signing the petition or e-petition.

**What information should my petition or e-petition contain?** Your petition or e-petition will need to include:

- A title;
- A statement explicitly setting out what action you would like the Council to do or not do. If you wish a Councillor or a senior officer to give account for a matter before a Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee then you must identify that individual and give reasons why they need to;
- Any information which you feel is relevant to the petition/e-petition and reasons why you consider the action requested to be necessary;
- A choice of options for signatories to choose from, i.e. will you simply be asking people to ‘agree’ with the petition or will you give them the option to ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’?
- Paper petitions should include space for signatories to complete the required information.

**How Many signatures does my petition need?** To qualify as a valid petition under the Council scheme a paper petition requires a minimum of 25 signatures and an e-petition 50 signatures. In exceptional circumstances, the Council may consider accepting petitions with fewer signatures where there is local issue affecting a small number of residents.

**Promoting petitions and e-petitions** The Council will not host e-petitions on its website. It is, therefore, down to the lead petitioner to spread the word about their e-petition in order to get as many people as possible to sign up. If this is not done then your e-petition could receive no signatures. Raising awareness of it could be done in a number of ways such as promoting it on local community websites, discussion forums or newsletters. The Council will not promote or advertise paper petitions or allow copies to be left for signature on its premises although your Ward Councillor may be prepared to assist you or promote your petition.

**What will happen to a Petition or e-Petition once it is submitted?**

Once a petition or e-petition has been submitted it will be referred to an appropriate Council officer for consideration. A Councillor (this will normally be the relevant Portfolio Holder, but in some cases it will be the appropriate committee chairman) will be identified to oversee the Council’s response. This might include taking the action requested in the petition, or explaining why the action will not be taken. Other possible responses might be to refer the matter to a Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee or to the full Council, to commission research or public consultation, to hold a public meeting or to request an investigation. A response will normally be sent to you within 10 working days and will be posted on the Council’s website. If you are dissatisfied with the response you may ask that the matter is considered by a relevant Policy and Development & Scrutiny Committee. If your petition has more than 250 signatures (500 for an e-petition) you, or a person you nominate, will be invited to address the committee for up to 5 minutes. If your petition has more than 500 signatures (1,000 for an e-petition) you may instead ask that the petition is referred to full Council for consideration and you or your nominee can address the Council up to for 5 minutes. If your petition is to require a Councillor or a senior officer of the Council (except in exceptional circumstances, this will be an officer at Assistant Chief Officer level or above) to give evidence in public before a Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee this will require a petition of 500 signatures (1,000 for an e-petition.)

After considering your petition the Committee or Council can refer it to the Executive, a relevant Portfolio Holder or a Chief Officer with recommendations for action. At the next scheduled meeting of the Committee or Council there will be a report back either advising that the recommendation has been complied with or giving reasons why it has not been possible to do so. The Director of Corporate Services will maintain a register of all petitions submitted and will report annually to Council on petitions received, actions taken to address petitions or reasons why it has not been possible to do so.

What can petitions and e-petitions achieve?

When you submit a petition or an e-petition to the Council it can have positive outcomes that lead to change and inform debate. It can bring an issue to the attention of the Council and show strong public approval or disapproval for something which the Council is doing, and local Councillors will always be informed about petitions which affect their Wards. As a consequence, the Council may decide to, for example, change or review a policy, hold a public meeting or run a public consultation to gather more views on the issue... LONDON BOROUGH OF HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM

PETITIONS SCHEME

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Petitions Scheme was approved by the Council on 30 June 2010 under the provisions of Section 11 (1) of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (the Act). It incorporates procedures to comply with the requirement under the Act for the Council to set up an E-petitions Scheme.

1.2 This Scheme, which is available on the Council’s website, will be updated periodically in response to experience with the Scheme, guidance from the Government or changes in legislation. The Scheme will be reviewed annually as set out in Section 14 below.

1.3 The Council has appointed a Petitions Officer, who will receive petitions and from whom further information and advice can be obtained. You can contact the petitions Officer by e-mail - kayode.adewumi@lbhf.gov.uk, or by post at: the Petitions Officer, Room 203, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London, W6 9JU (tel. 020 8753 2499).

2. PRINCIPLES

2.1 The Council welcomes petitions, either in paper form (see the form at the end of this document) or submitted via e-mail or through our E-petitions online facility. We accept petitions as a way in which people can let us know of their concerns and the degree of local support for what we do. We have agreed special procedures to ensure that all valid petitions are reported to an appropriate body within the Council.

2.2 We will treat something as a petition if it is identified as being a petition, or if it seems to us that it is intended to be a petition. Valid petitions, whether received by post, by hand, by e-mail or submitted in person or via our E-petitions online facility, will be accepted in accordance with this Scheme.

2.3 A petition can be open for signature up to a maximum of 90 days, unless an extension is agreed with the petition organiser; most will be responded to much sooner.

3. WHO CAN SUBMIT A PETITION?

3.1 Anybody who lives, works or studies in the borough may organise, submit or sign a petition.

4. WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING A PETITION? 4.1 A valid petition submitted to the Council must:

- Relate to something which is the Council’s responsibility, or which the Council has some influence over – the Council has close working relationships and, often, partnership agreements, with a wide range of public organisations operating in the borough and across London. These organisations include the Hammersmith and Fulham Primary Care Trust, the local emergency services, the West London Waste Authority, and Transport for London as it operates in the borough.

- Be a clear and concise statement covering the subject of the petition. It should state what action the petitioners wish the Council to take.

- Have the names, addresses and signatures of the people who support the petition (name, address and valid e-mail address if the petition is submitted via e-mail or via the E-petition facility). The address might be a residential, work place or study location within the borough, with a valid postcode.

- Meet defined thresholds for numbers of signatures of people who live, work or study in the borough. (See section 9 below).

- Contain contact details, including an address, of the petition organiser. This is the person we will contact to explain how we will respond to the petition. The contact details of the petition organiser will not be placed on our website. If the petition does not identify a petition organiser, we will contact signatories to the petition to agree who should act as the petition organiser.

- Not, in the Council’s opinion, be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate.

- Not relate to planning or licensing decisions or to any other matter where people have a statutory right to make comments, or to request a review or to appeal.

5. HOW TO SUBMIT A PETITION

5.1 Petitions may be submitted by e-mail, post, in person at the Town Hall, or created, signed and submitted online through our E-petitions facility link. All petitions currently available for signature will be shown on our website. We reserve the right to check the validity of the addresses of anyone who signs a petition to ensure that they have a real interest in the borough.

5.2 The organisers of petitions are advised to use the form attached as an Appendix to this Scheme if they want to send their petitions by post, by hand or by e-mail; there is a specific format for petitions on our E-petitions facility. The form can be sent to the Petitions Officer by e-mail (kayode.adewumi@lbhf.gov.uk), or by post, or hand delivered to the Petitions Officer, Room 203, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London, W6 9JU. You can contact the Petitions Officer on 020 8753 2499. 5.3 We welcome E-petitions which are created and submitted through our website. E-petitions must follow the same guidelines as paper petitions. On receipt of details from a person wanting to sign an E-petition, we will send an e-mail to the e-mail address provided. This e-mail will include a link which must be clicked in order to confirm the e-mail address is valid. Once this step is complete, the 'signature' will be added to the E-petition. People visiting the E-petition on our website will be able to see the names of everyone who has 'signed' it but not their contact details.

5.4 All petitions currently available for signature will be posted on the Council's website. The website shows what is happening to a petition as it goes through the various stages of the process set out in this Scheme. It will take five working days before a petition is available on our website. This is because the content of the petition needs to be checked as to whether it is suitable, and the petitioners' names verified to ensure they have a genuine interest in the borough. It will then be made available on the website for further signatures.

5.5 Elected Members of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham may sign a petition but will need to follow the Council's rules about declaring an interest if they are involved in decision making in response to the petition.

6. WHAT IS EXCLUDED FROM THE SCHEME?

6.1 The following petitions will be excluded from the Scheme:-

- Where a petition is considered to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate.
- The petition applies to a planning or licensing application, where there are already procedures to make representations.
- The petition is a statutory petition (for example requesting a referendum on having an elected Mayor).
- The petition concerns a matter where there is already an existing right of appeal, such as Council Tax banding and non-domestic rates, where other procedures apply.
- The petition concerns a matter which the Council has no ability to influence (see section 11 below)

6.2 Invalid petitions will not be published. An explanation with the reasons for this will be sent out to the petition organiser.

6.3 In the period immediately before an election or referendum, the Council may need to deal with petitions differently. This is because the law requires local authorities during the period before an election or referendum to act in a way which does not appear to favour or discriminate any political party.

6.4 Where the petition is valid but the Council cannot publish it for some reason, we will contact the petition organiser with an explanation, and advise on how to change the petition in order to overcome the problem. If the petition is not resubmitted within 10 working days, a summary of the petition and the reason why it has not been accepted will be published under the 'rejected petitions' section of the website.

7. WHAT WILL THE COUNCIL DO WHEN IT RECEIVES A PETITION?

7.1 The Petitions Officer will send a valid petition to a Responding Officer in the relevant Council department. The Responding Officer will be responsible for investigating the issue and advising on the action to be taken by the Council. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to the person organising the petition within 10 working days of the petition having been made. Where the petition has been submitted via the E-petitions facility, the acknowledgment will also be sent to everyone who provides a valid e-mail address. The acknowledgement will say what we have done or intend to do in response to the petition. It will also be published on our website, except in cases where this would be inappropriate. The petition will be copied to the relevant Ward Councillor(s).

7.2 We want to ensure that petitions are clearly and effectively worded. We will therefore offer help to petition organisers to enable them to make their petitions as focused as possible, in the interests of getting a response from the Council which addresses petitioners’ concerns. If we feel there are other ways of getting a quicker and more satisfactory response to the subject of the petition, we will suggest them. We may therefore contact the petition organiser about these issues before the acknowledgment is sent or afterwards.

7.3 If the Council can do what the petition asks for, the acknowledgment may confirm that the requested action has been taken (or will be taken by a specified date) and the petition organiser will be asked to agree to the closure of the petition, either immediately or after the specified date.

7.4 If the petition has enough signatures to trigger a Council debate (see paragraph 9.1 below), or the petitioners want a senior officer to give evidence (see paragraph 9.3 below), then the acknowledgement will confirm this and state when and where the meeting will take place. If the subject of the petition needs more investigation, the petition organiser will be informed of the steps the Council plans to take.

8. HOW WILL THE COUNCIL RESPOND TO PETITIONS?

8.1 The response to a petition will depend on what the petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following:

- taking the action requested in the petition
- considering the petition at a Council meeting
- holding an inquiry into the matter
- undertaking research into the matter
- holding a public meeting
- holding consultation
- holding a meeting with petitioners • referring the petition for consideration by one of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees\* • writing to the petition organiser setting out our views about the request in the petition

\*Scrutiny Committees (also called Select Committees) are committees of Councillors who are responsible for scrutinising the work of the Council - in other words, the Scrutiny Committee has the power to hold the Council’s decision-makers to account. The Scrutiny Committees are overseen by the Scrutiny Board.

9. TYPES OF PETITION

a. Petitions for debate at Council

9.1 If a petition attracts a minimum of 5,000 valid signatures (unless it is a petition asking for a senior Council officer to give evidence at a public meeting) this will automatically trigger a debate at a full Council meeting. The full Council, a meeting which all Councillors attend to discuss major issues, will decide to take or not take the action requested in the petition, or to commission further investigation into the subject of the petition. The Council will try to consider the petition at its next scheduled meeting, although on some occasions this may not be possible; the discussion will then take place at the following meeting.

9.2 The petition organiser (or someone he/she nominates) may address the Council for no longer than five minutes on the subject of the petition. The Petitions Officer will contact the petition organiser in advance of the meeting to arrange this. Councillors will question all parties on the subject of the petition.

b. Petitions to call an officer to give evidence

9.3 The petition may ask for the Chief Executive or a Director to give evidence at a relevant Scrutiny Committee meeting about something for which the officer is responsible as part of his/her job. A minimum of 2,000 valid signatures will be required to trigger this action. For example, the petition may ask a Chief Officer to explain progress on an issue, or to explain the advice given to elected Members to enable them to make a particular decision. The Scrutiny Committee may decide that it would be more appropriate for another officer to give evidence instead of the senior officer named in the petition. The Committee may also decide to call a Cabinet Member or other Councillor to attend the meeting.

9.4 The petition organiser (or someone he/she nominates) may address the Scrutiny Committee for no longer than five minutes on the subject of the petition. The Petition Officer will contact the petition organiser in advance of the meeting to arrange this. Scrutiny Committee members will question all parties on the subject of the petition.

c. Petitions to Cabinet

9.5 A petition with a minimum of 250 valid signatures will be considered at a meeting of the Cabinet (the Council’s top decision-making body). Cabinet meets monthly (except in August). The Cabinet will try to consider the petition at its next scheduled meeting, although on some occasions this may not be possible and the petition may have to be deferred to the following meeting.

9.6 The petition organiser (or someone he/she nominates) may address the Cabinet for no longer than five minutes on the subject of the petition. The Petition Officer will contact the petition organiser in advance of the meeting to arrange this. Cabinet members will question all parties on the subject of the petition.

d. Petitions to a Cabinet Member

9.7 Petitions with a minimum of 100 signatures will be considered by the relevant Cabinet Member(s). Each member of the Council’s Cabinet holds Executive responsibility for a specific portfolio of Council functions. A Cabinet Member may refer a petition to the full Cabinet for consideration if he/she is of the view that the matters raised are sufficiently significant.

9.8 The Cabinet Member may request a meeting with the petition organiser (or someone he/she nominates) to discuss the subject of the petition. The Petitions Officer will contact the petition organiser in advance to arrange this.

9.9 Summary of Petition Types, Requirements and Decision Maker.

| Type of Petition | Threshold (Minimum number of Signatories) | Decision Maker | |----------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Council Debate | 5,000 | Full Council | | Call an Officer to give evidence | 2,000 | Scrutiny Committee or Scrutiny Board| | Petitions to Cabinet | 250 | Cabinet | | Petitions to Cabinet Members | 100 | Relevant Cabinet Member(s) |

10. NOTIFYING THE DECISION TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO A PETITION

10.1 All petition organisers will be notified of the decision taken (with reasons if the decision is to take no action) within 5 working days of the decision being made. This notification will be published on our website, unless it is considered inappropriate to do so.

10.2 The Council accepts that it will not normally be sufficient for a decision maker to merely “note” a petition. The response to a petition will normally provide information on the steps the Council intends to take to address the concerns of the petitioners or reasons why their concerns cannot be addressed in the way they wish. 11. WHAT WILL THE COUNCIL DO IF THE PETITION IS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO SERVICES PROVIDED BY IT?

11.1 If the petition is about something which the Council has no power to influence, we will consider making representations on behalf of the community to the relevant body. In such cases, the Petitions Officer will ask the petition organiser whether he/she wishes the Council to send the petition to the relevant authority if this is possible.

11.2 However, in many cases where the Council is not directly responsible for the matter which is the subject of the petition, it may work closely (or have formal partnership arrangements) with the body that is responsible (see para. 4.1 above). In this case, the decision maker may refer the matter to a Scrutiny Committee which will invite representatives of the relevant body to attend while the petition is considered.

11.3 If the petition is about something that a different Council is responsible for, the Council will give consideration to what the best method is for responding to it. This might consist of simply forwarding the petition to the other Council, but could involve other steps. In any event the Council will notify the petition organiser of the action taken.

12. WHAT CAN PETITIONERS DO IF THEY ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE TO A PETITION?

12.1 If the petitioners are not satisfied with the Council’s decision in response to a petition, the petition organiser can request the Council’s Scrutiny Board(^1) to review whether the Council’s decision is adequate, by e-mailing or writing to the Petitions Officer. This should be done within 28 days of the Council’s response being received by the petition organiser, who should provide a short explanation of the reasons why the Council’s response to the petition was not considered to be adequate.

12.2 The Scrutiny Board will call for a report from officers on the request for a review of the Council’s decision, and will endeavour to consider the request at its next scheduled meeting; on some occasions this may not be possible and consideration will be deferred to the following meeting. Should the Scrutiny Board determine the Council has not dealt with the petition adequately, it may use any of its powers to deal with the matter. These powers include instigating an investigation, making recommendations to the Council’s Cabinet and arranging for the matter to be considered at a meeting of the full Council.

12.3 The petition organiser (or someone he/she nominates) may address the Scrutiny Board for no longer than five minutes on the subject of the petition. The Petitions Officer will contact the petition organiser in advance of the meeting to arrange this. Scrutiny Board members will question all parties on the subject of the petition.

(^1) If the Scrutiny Board was responsible for taking the original decision in relation to the decision, the appeal will be referred to another Scrutiny Committee (one of the Select Committees). 12.4 The petition organiser will be informed of the results of the Scrutiny Board’s review of the Council’s decision on the petition, with reasons as to why no action or any further action is recommended, within 5 working days of the Scrutiny Board’s meeting. This notification will be published on our website, unless it is considered inappropriate to do so.

13. ATTENDING A MEETING WHERE A PETITION IS BEING CONSIDERED

13.1 A petition may be considered at a formal meeting of the full Council, Cabinet or Scrutiny Committee.

13.2 Receiving of petitioners at a formal meeting

(i) People who have signed a petition may attend a meeting where the petition is being considered. The petition organiser will be given adequate notice of the date and time of the meeting.

(ii) The petition organiser (or one person nominated by him/her) may address the meeting for a period not exceeding 5 minutes.

(iii) Members may during a period not exceeding 10 minutes ask questions of a petition organiser (or nominee) if required.

(iv) Members may then invite officers of the Council and/or representatives of other relevant authorities to comment on the subject of the petition.

(v) The Committee will then debate the subject of the petition for a maximum of 30 minutes, taking into account the issues raised by the petitioners, officers and representatives of other relevant authorities. Petitioners may remain for the duration of the debate if they so wish.

13.3 Limitation on the number of petitioners attending a formal meeting

The Chairman of the meeting reserves the right to limit the number of petitioners present at a meeting to maintain order and/or to allow sufficient time for other business specified on the agenda.

14. ANNUAL REPORT ON THE OPERATION OF THE SCHEME

14.1 The Council will receive an annual report detailing the subject matter of all petitions received during the year, the number of signatures to each petition and a summary of the Council’s response to each. Changes to the Scheme will be recommended as necessary in the light of experience with its operation.

JUNE 2010 **PETITION FORM**

**PLEASE PRINT THE NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS OF THE ORGANISER OF THE PETITION (who must live, work or study in the borough)**

| Name: | Address: | |----------------|----------------------------------------------| | | | | Postcode: | Telephone: E-mail: | | | |

**PETITIONERS WHO LIVE, WORK OR STUDY IN THIS BOROUGH SHOULD GIVE THEIR NAMES AND ADDRESSES BELOW**

| Name | Address in Hammersmith and Fulham: | |------|-----------------------------------| | | • Where you live in the borough, or | | | • The name and address of your employer in the borough, or | | | • The name and address of where you study in the borough |

NB. Postcode is mandatory

| E-mail address | or signature (if posted or hand delivered) | |----------------|-------------------------------------------| | | |

Carry on with a separate sheet if you wish.

**WHAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE PETITION?** IF THE PETITION INVOLVES ANY OTHER PUBLIC AUTHORITY OPERATING IN THE BOROUGH, PLEASE STATE WHICH AUTHORITY IS/ARE INVOLVED

WE HEREBY PETITION LBHF AS FOLLOWS: (This is an opportunity for you to state the purpose of your petition – you can attach additional pages if necessary).

Please state the date when you want your petition to be made to LBHF. This should be no earlier than the date on which you have obtained (or expect to have obtained) the minimum required number of signatures. Please send the petition by e-mail as soon as possible after this date.

Date of making the e-petition: .................................................................

If a petition is posted or hand delivered, the date of making the petition will be the date it is received by the Petitions Officer.

Please send your form to the Petitions Officer by e-mail (kayode.adewumi@lbhf.gov.uk) or by post/by hand at Room 203, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London W6 9JU. You can get further information from this officer, tel. 020 8753 2499.

Summary of Petition Types, Requirements and Decision Maker.

| Type of Petition | Threshold (minimum signatories) | Decision Maker | |----------------------------------|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------| | Council Debate | 5000 | Full Council | | Call an Officer to give evidence | 2000 | Select Committee or Scrutiny Board | | Petitions to Cabinet | 250 | Cabinet | | Petitions to Cabinet Members | 100 | Relevant Cabinet Member(s) |

The Petitions Scheme will only apply to petitions which relate to matters for which the authority has responsibility or which it is able to influence via its partner authorities. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

PETITIONS SCHEME KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA

Introduction

1. The Council welcomes petitions and recognises that petitions are one way in which people can voice their concerns. It will address with equal care and attention petitions from residents, from those who work or study in the Borough or from visitors or any other group of people who use Council services in one way or another.

Types of petitions

2. There are five main categories of petition:

(i) Ordinary petitions are petitions which do not come within any of the following specific types.

(ii) Consultation petitions are petitions in response to an invitation from the Council for representations on a particular proposal or application, for example on planning or licensing applications or proposals for parking restrictions. Consultation petitions which are received by the response date in the consultation invitation will be reported, along with other responses, to the forum or Cabinet Member taking the decision on the application or proposal concerned.

(iii) Statutory petitions - particular Acts of Parliament require the Council to consider petitions, for example a petition for a directly-elected Mayor. Where a petition is submitted under such a specific statute, we will report it to the next available meeting of the Council in accordance with the statutory requirements.

(iv) Petitions for debate - see paragraphs 17-20 below.

(v) Petitions to hold an officer to account - see paragraphs 21-22 below.

Contact point for petitions

3. All hardcopy/paper petitions should be sent to:

The Head of Governance Services

Kensington Town Hall Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

London W8 7NX

4. Alternatively petitions can be presented to a meeting of the Council. These meetings are published in the Council Meetings Calendar at www.rbkc.gov.uk/councilanddemocracy.aspx. If you would like to present your petition to the Council, or would like your local Councillor to present it on your behalf, please contact Martyn Carver at committees@rbkc.gov.uk or on 020 7361 2477 at least 10 working days before the meeting and they will talk you through the process. If your petition has received 1,500 signatures or more and you have so requested, it will also be scheduled for a Council debate: if this is the case we will let you know the meeting of the Council at which this will happen.

5. It is possible to create, sign and submit petitions online via the Council’s website at:

https://www.consultation.rbkc.gov.uk/KMS/EPetitionHome.aspx?strTab=EPetitions&NoIP=1

What are the guidelines for submitting a petition?

6. All petitions submitted to the Council must:

(i) include at the top of each separate page a clear and concise statement (‘the prayer’) covering the subject of the petition and stating clearly what action the petitioners wish the Council to take;

(ii) include the name, postal address and signature of any person supporting the petition; and

(iii) be accompanied by contact details, including an address, for the petition organiser or ‘lead petitioner\*’. This is the person we will contact to explain how we will respond to the petition. In the absence of a clear contact point, the first decipherable name and address on the petition will be used.

- Note: the Council will not display on its website any personal contact details for the petition organiser.

7. The Council will treat something as a petition if it is identified as being a petition, or if it seems to us that it is intended to be a petition. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

8. We will not take action on any petition which we consider to be vexatious, abusive or otherwise inappropriate, but will explain the reasons for this in our acknowledgement of the petition. Furthermore, in the period immediately before an election or referendum we may need to deal with your petition differently – if this is the case we will explain the reasons and discuss the revised timescale which will apply.

9. If a petition does not follow the guidelines set out above, the Council may decide not to do anything further with it. In that case, we will write to you to explain the reasons.

What will the Council do when it receives a petition?

10. In the case of ordinary petitions the following procedures will apply:

(i) An acknowledgement will be sent to the petition organiser as soon as possible - but no later than 7 working days after receiving the petition. It will let him/her know what the Council plans to do with the petition - in particular the name and contact details of the executive director to whom the petition has been referred and the six week timescale within which a response will be sent. In normal circumstances the consideration of, and response to, a petition will be a matter for the relevant executive director in liaison with the Cabinet Member into whose portfolio the matter falls.

(ii) If the Council can take the action that your petition seeks, the acknowledgement may confirm that we have taken that action requested and the petition will be closed. If the petition so requests and has enough signatures to trigger a Council debate, or a senior officer giving evidence, then the acknowledgment will confirm this and tell you when and where the meeting will take place. If the petition needs more investigation, we will tell you the steps we plan to take.

(iii) The executive director to whom the petition has been forwarded for handling will, as soon as practicable, e-mail the relevant Cabinet Member, all members of the relevant Scrutiny Committee and relevant Ward Councillors, reporting receipt of the petition and giving brief details on the prayer to, and level of support for, the petition - together with the timescale for a response and such other information or comments as may be relevant or helpful. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

(iv) The relevant executive director will then consider the issues and draft a response in liaison with the relevant Cabinet Member. Once the draft response has been prepared this shall be circulated for information (usually by e-mail), with brief details on the prayer to and level of support for the petition, to all members of the relevant Scrutiny Committee and relevant Ward Councillors and no less than three working days will be allowed for them to comment on the draft response.

(v) The executive director and Cabinet Member will take into account if and as they see fit any views expressed by Scrutiny Committee Members and Ward Councillors and issue a final response to the petition organiser. A copy of this response will be sent simultaneously to the Head of Governance Services.

(vi) All responses to petitions will be sent within six weeks of the petition being logged unless there is good reason why this cannot or should not be done, in which case the executive director will send a letter to the lead petitioner explaining the reason for a delayed response (e.g. the need for a full traffic study, further consultation etc.).

(vii) It may be that issues raised in a petition are of wider interest to the Scrutiny Committee in question, in which case that Committee is at liberty to include these within its work programme. Also, if the subject matter of a petition so merits it, the Chairman of the relevant Scrutiny Committee may request that the formal response to the lead petitioner be deferred to enable full consideration of the issue at a meeting of that Committee. Scrutiny Committees have no formal ‘call in’ powers in this regard however, and accession to any such request is entirely a matter for the Cabinet Member concerned.

11. So as to ensure a high degree of transparency in the way the Council handles the petitions it receives, information on petitions submitted will in normal circumstances be published on our website.

How will the Council respond to petitions?

12. Our response to a petition will depend on what a petition asks for and how many people have signed it, but may include one or more of the following: Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

- taking the action requested in the petition
- considering the petition at a full Council meeting
- holding an inquiry into the matter
- undertaking research into the matter
- holding a public meeting
- holding a consultation
- holding a meeting with petitioners
- referring the petition for consideration by the relevant Council Scrutiny Committee\*
- calling a referendum
- writing to the petition organiser setting out our views about the request in the petition

\*Note: Scrutiny committees are committees of Councillors who are responsible for scrutinising the work of the Council – in other words, the scrutiny committee has the power to hold the Council’s decision makers to account.

13. In addition to these steps, the Council will consider all the specific actions it can potentially take on the issues highlighted in a petition.

14. If your petition is about something over which the Council has no direct control (for example local underground stations or hospital), we will consider making representations on behalf of the community to the relevant body. The Council works with a large number of local partner organisations and, where appropriate and possible, will work with these partners to respond to your petition. If we are not able to do this for any reason (for example if what the petition calls for conflicts with Council policy), then we will set out the reasons for this to you.

15. If your petition is about something which is the responsibility of a different council, we will consider the best method is for responding to it. This might consist of simply forwarding the petition to the other council, but could involve other steps. In any event we will always notify you of the action we have taken.

Statutory or consultation-related petitions

16. If your petition: Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

- is in response to a Council consultation exercise (see 2(ii) above);
- applies to a planning or licensing application;
- is a statutory petition (for example requesting a referendum on having an elected mayor); or
- relates to a matter where there is already an existing right of appeal, such as council tax banding and non-domestic rates;

other procedures apply. Initial questions in this regard should be directed to Martyn Carver at committees@rbkc.gov.uk or on 020 7361 2477.

Petitions for debate at a full Council meeting

17. If a petition contains more than 1,500 signatures and you have so requested, it will be debated at a meeting of full Council unless it is a petition asking for a senior Council officer to give evidence at a public meeting (see below). This means that the issue raised in the petition will be discussed at a meeting which all Councillors can attend.

18. If a petition is presented at a full Council meeting, the Council will not debate the petition at that same meeting; however it will endeavour to consider the petition at its next ordinary meeting, or if this is not possible then at the earliest possible meeting thereafter.

19. The Council’s consideration of any petition will be based upon a written report from the relevant Council officer, published with the Council agenda. In addition, the petition organiser will, at the Council meeting at which the petition is to be considered, be given up to five minutes to present the petition. After any such presentation by the petition organiser, the petition will then be discussed by Council for a maximum of 15 minutes: the Council will then agree how to respond.

20. Full Council may decide to take the action the petition requests, not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate, or to commission further investigation into the matter, for example by a relevant committee. Where the issue is one on which the Council’s Cabinet (or an individual Cabinet Member) is required to make the final decision, the Council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision. The petition organiser will receive written confirmation of this decision. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

Petitions to call an officer to account

21. Your petition may ask for a senior Council officer to give evidence at a public meeting about something for which the officer is responsible as part of their job. For example, your petition may ask a senior Council officer to explain progress on an issue, or to explain the advice given to elected members to enable them to make a particular decision.

22. If your petition contains at least 750 signatures and so requests, the relevant senior officer (an Executive Director or Director) will give evidence at a public meeting of the Council’s relevant Scrutiny Committee. You should be aware that the Scrutiny Committee may decide that it would be more appropriate for another officer to give evidence instead of any officer named in the petition, for instance if the named officer has changed jobs. The Committee may also decide to call any relevant Councillor (such as the Cabinet Member concerned) to attend the meeting. Committee Members will ask the questions at this meeting, but you will be able to suggest questions to the chairman of the Committee by contacting committees@rbkc.gov.uk no later than three working days before the meeting.

Electronic petitions (‘e-petitions’)

23. The Council welcomes e-petitions which are created and submitted through our website at the address shown in paragraph 5. E-petitions must follow the same guidelines as paper petitions. The petition organiser will need to provide us with their name, postal address and email address. You will also need to decide how long you would like your petition to be open for signatures. Most petitions run for six months, but you can choose a shorter or longer timeframe, up to a maximum of 12 months.

24. When you create an e-petition, it may take five working days before it is published online. This is because we have to check that the content of your petition is suitable before it is made available for signature. If we feel we cannot publish your petition for some reason, we will contact you within this time to explain. You will be able to change and resubmit your petition if you wish. If you do not do this within 10 working days, a summary of the petition and the reason why it has not been accepted will be published under the ‘rejected petitions’ section of the website. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

25. When an e-petition has closed for signature, it will automatically be submitted to the Council’s Head of Governance Services. In the same way as a paper petition, you will receive an acknowledgement within 10 working days. If you would like to present your e-petition to a meeting of the Council, please contact Martyn Carver at committees@rbkc.gov.uk or on 020 7361 2477 within 10 working days of receipt of the acknowledgement.

26. A petition acknowledgement and response will be emailed to everyone who has signed the e-petition and elected to receive this information. The acknowledgment and response will also be published on this website.

27. You can see all the e-petitions currently available for signature on the website. When you sign an e-petition you will be asked to provide your name, your postcode and a valid email address. When you have submitted this information you will be sent an email to the email address you have provided. This email will include a link which you must click on in order to confirm the email address is valid. Once this step is complete your ‘signature’ will be added to the petition. People visiting the e-petition will be able to see your name in the list of those who have signed it but your contact details will not be visible.

Duplicate and repeat petitions

28. Where more than one petition with the same or very similar prayer is received in time for a particular meeting, each petition organiser will be treated as an independent petition organiser, but only the petition organiser of the first petition received will be invited to address the meeting.

29. A petition will not normally be considered where it is received within six months of another petition being considered by the Authority on the same matter.

What can I do if I feel my petition has not been dealt with properly?

30. If you feel that we have not dealt with your petition properly, the petition organiser can ask the Chairman of the relevant Council Scrutiny Committee to review the steps that the Council has taken in response to your petition. It is helpful to everyone, and can improve the prospects for a review if the petition organiser gives a short explanation of the reasons why the Council’s response is not considered to be adequate. Part Five – E. Petitions scheme

31. If the Chairman accepts that the issue merits a review, it will normally be included on the agenda for the next meeting of that Scrutiny Committee, although on some occasions this may not be possible and consideration will take place at the following meeting. Should the Committee consider that the Council has not dealt with your petition adequately, it may decide to undertake its own review or investigation of the subject matter of the petition or make its own recommendations to full Cabinet or the relevant Cabinet Member.

32. Once the appeal has been considered the petition organiser will, within five working days, be informed of the outcome.